About Us > Blog

Categories

Classic Car Restoration Project: Ron’s ’57 Corvette

In addition to providing auto repair and maintenance services, we pride ourselves in offering vehicle restoration to our customers. One of the current restoration projects we are working on is a ’57 Corvette.

The background

After purchasing the vehicle from its original owner in 1968, Ron Mezzabilla, one of B&W’s most loyal customers, has enjoyed driving it ever since. After several years of smooth performance, he decided to restore the classic ‘Vette. First, the vehicle was taken to a local body shop where they perform the bodywork and paint. Then, Ron took the car to B&W Service Center for an entire front-to-back electrical rewire and give it a fine tuning.

The work

1. New 350 HP Engine: To get the engine running, we had to prime the oil system to make sure it had oil pressure. Also, we checked and adjusted the ignition timing and the starting/charging system; checked the coolant system for leaks and adjusted the air-fuel ratio in the carburetor. Lastly, we adjusted the belts and hoses and installed all new wiring to every component under the hood.

2. Transmission & Differential: The team checked and topped off the transmission fluid and then adjusted the shifter linkage for smooth operation. They also checked and topped off the differential and secured all mounting hardware.

3. Brake System: B&W updated the wheel drum system to a 4-Wheel Disc Brake System, inspected and repaired the entire brake system, including the parking brake, flushed and bled the brake system, making sure it had the correct pressure on all four brake calipers and that there was no air in the hydraulic brake system.

4. Electrical System: Our mechanics upgraded the entire electrical system to today’s standard by adding a fuse box – the vehicle only had in-line fuses. They replaced every wire and connector to every component, including the brake lights, front/rear turn signals, running lights, reverse lights, headlights, dashboard and all the gauges, alternator, starter, ignition distributor and carburetor.

5. Front/Rear Suspension & Steering: We checked the entire suspension and steering mounting hardware as well as secured a 4-Wheel Alignment.More work is scheduled to be performed on the Corvette in the next months. Keep checking our blog for more updates.